Process for compressing application deployments

Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to compress an application deployment. A master application to be deployed that has two or more files is obtained. The files in the master application are inventoried and two file instances that are identical are identified. An application deployment, based on the master application, is written by writing the first file instance and replacing additional identical file instances with links to the first file instance.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method for compressing an application deployment, comprising:
 obtaining a master application to be deployed, wherein the master application comprises two or more files; 
 inventorying the two or more files in the master application; 
 identifying a first file instance and a second file instance from the two or more files, wherein the first file instance and the second file instance are identical; and 
 writing an application deployment based on the master application, wherein the application deployment comprises the first file instance and a link to the first file instance instead of the second file instance. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the inventorying comprises computing checksums for each of the two or more files in the master application; and 
 the identifying comprises comparing the checksums. 
 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 computing checksums for files in the application deployment; and 
 verifying the files in the application deployment are identical to the two or more files in the master application. 
 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the writing comprises:
 creating a virtual disk image; and 
 writing the application deployment to the virtual disk image, wherein the link comprises a hard-link. 
 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the inventorying comprises calculating a potential reduction in size that would result by removing identical files; and 
 the virtual disk image is created based on the reduction in size. 
 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , the method further comprising:
 utilizing the virtual disk image as input to a media replication process. 
 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the writing comprises writing the application deployment into a streaming package; and 
 the method further comprises:
 uploading the streaming package; 
 deploying a client tool to a client, wherein the client tool is configured to download and read the streaming package; and 
 pointing the client tool to the uploaded streaming package. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the writing further comprises compressing the application deployment. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus for compressing an application deployment in a computer system comprising:
 (a) a computer having a memory; 
 (b) an application executing on the computer, wherein the application is configured to:
 (i) obtain a master application to be deployed, wherein the master application comprises two or more files; 
 (ii) inventory the two or more files in the master application; 
 (iii) identify a first file instance and a second file instance from the two or more files, wherein the first file instance and the second file instance are identical; and 
 (iv) write an application deployment based on the master application, wherein the application deployment comprises the first file instance and a link to the first file instance instead of the second file instance. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the application is configured to:
 inventory the two or more files by computing checksums for each of the two or more files in the master application; and 
 identify the first file instance and the second file instance by comparing the checksums. 
 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the application is further configured to:
 compute checksums for files in the application deployment; and 
 verify the files in the application deployment are identical to the two or more files in the master application. 
 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the application is configured to write the application deployment by:
 creating a virtual disk image; and 
 writing the application deployment to the virtual disk image, wherein the link comprises a hard-link. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the application is configured to inventory by calculating a potential reduction in size that would result by removing identical files; and 
 the virtual disk image is created based on the reduction in size. 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the application is further configured to:
 utilize the virtual disk image as input to a media replication process. 
 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the application is configured to write by writing the application deployment into a streaming package; and 
 the application is further configured to:
 upload the streaming package; 
 deploy a client tool to a client, wherein the client tool is configured to download and read the streaming package; and 
 point the client tool to the uploaded streaming package. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the application is configured to write by compressing the application deployment. 
     
     
       17. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when accessed by a computer cause the computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein creating a special purpose data structure causing the computer to operate as a specially programmed computer, executing a method of compressing an application deployment, comprising:
 (a) obtaining, in the specially programmed computer, a master application to be deployed, wherein the master application comprises two or more files; 
 (b) inventorying, in the specially programmed computer, the two or more files in the master application; 
 (c) identifying, in the specially programmed computer, a first file instance and a second file instance from the two or more files, wherein the first file instance and the second file instance are identical; and 
 (d) writing, in the specially programmed computer, an application deployment based on the master application, wherein the application deployment comprises the first file instance and a link to the first file instance instead of the second file instance. 
 
     
     
       18. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the inventorying comprises computing checksums for each of the two or more files in the master application; and 
 the identifying comprises comparing the checksums. 
 
     
     
       19. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 computing, in the specially programmed computer, checksums for files in the application deployment; and 
 verifying, in the specially programmed computer, the files in the application deployment are identical to the two or more files in the master application. 
 
     
     
       20. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the writing comprises:
 creating, in the specially programmed computer, a virtual disk image; and 
 writing, in the specially programmed computer, the application deployment to the virtual disk image, wherein the link comprises a hard-link. 
 
     
     
       21. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 20 , wherein:
 the inventorying comprises calculating a potential reduction in size that would result by removing identical files; and 
 the virtual disk image is created based on the reduction in size. 
 
     
     
       22. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 20 , the method further comprising:
 utilizing, in the specially programmed computer, the virtual disk image as input to a media replication process. 
 
     
     
       23. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the writing comprises writing the application deployment into a streaming package; and 
 the method further comprises:
 uploading the streaming package; 
 deploying a client tool to a client, wherein the client tool is configured to download and read the streaming package; and 
 pointing the client tool to the uploaded streaming package. 
 
 
     
     
       24. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the writing further comprises compressing the application deployment.